Structured English

Definition - What does Structured English mean?

Structured English is a narrative form of English written as a series of blocks that use indentation and capitalization to represent a hierarchical structure of logic specifications. This method does not show any decisions or rules, but it states the rules and is used when an individual or an organization is trying to overcome the problems of an ambiguous language by stating the actions and conditions used when making decisions and formulating procedures.

Structured English is based on structured logic; it is used when process logic involves formulas or iteration, or when structured decisions are not too complex. Structured English is used to express all logic in terms of sequential structures, decision structures, iterations and case structures. This modified form of English is used to specify the logic of information processes by using a subset of English vocabulary to express process procedures.

Techopedia explains Structured English

Structured English derives from structured programming and its use of logical construction and imperative statements. This process is designed to carry out instructions for actions by creating decision statements that use structured programming terms, such as "IF", "ELSE" and "THEN".

Structure statements are developed and defined by using the following types of statements:

Sequence Structure: This is the single step or action included in the sequence process; it does not depend on the existence of other conditions. If the sequence structure does encounter a condition, it is taken into consideration.

Decision Structure: This occurs when two or more actions rely on the value of a specific condition. The condition is expanded and the necessary decisions are made.

Iteration/Repetition Structure: Certain conditions will only occur after specific conditions are executed. Iterative instructions help an analyst describe these specific cases.